Saraf promises help for immunodeficiency diseases

Rajasthan  health minister Kali Charan Saraf on Saturday promised that the state government will extend all possible help to government hospitals for treating immunodeficiency diseases. 

Inaugurating the two-day national conference on Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases (PID) at a city hotel, he said that this conference is first of its kind in Jaipur and discussions on latest scientific achievements, research and treatment of immunodeficiency diseases will benefit the people and children of the state.

“The state government will extend all possible help for the required facilities to the government medical colleges to treat immunodeficiency diseases,” he said. 

Conference organising secretary and Sir Padampat Mother and Child Health Institute (JK Lone Hospital) medical superintendent Dr Ashok Gupta said that national and international experts will discuss on immunodeficiency diseases, that will, in turn, help the medical fraternity.

Primary Immunodeficiency has been a neglected specialty owing primarily to the lack of medical awareness. “Six years back, there were only six research papers on the subject. But today, 260 research papers have been submitted, which shows that doctors are focussing on the issue and working on it,” Dr Gupta said. 

He added that JK Lone hospital of Sawai Man Singh Medical College is the country’s first medical college hospital to start special programme on rare diseases along with newborn screening.

Presiding over the function, SMS Medical College Jaipur, principal and controller Dr US Agarwal said that immunodeficiency diseases is a very difficult subject. He further added that with government’s support, Jaipur can make rapid strides on this subject. 

Dr Gupta, citing examples, said that ear infection four or more times in a year, serious sinus infection twice or more in a year, treatment with antibiotics for more than two years, pneumonia twice or more in a year, improper development of child, repeated skin infection, all such cases can hint at PID. In such cases, facility of immunotherapy and stem cell transplantation is available. 

This conference is being organised by Indian Society of Primary Immune Deficiency (ISPID) in collaboration with the Foundation for Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases (FPID, USA) and SPMCHI, SMS Medical College, Jaipur.